


Forgotten

by Talvin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Discussion of Death, Discussion of historical Miraculous Wielders, No I am not writing a sequel, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25244452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talvin/pseuds/Talvin
Summary: Marinette and Tikki discuss Joan of Arc.  Who was her Black Cat?
Comments: 15
Kudos: 72





	Forgotten

Marinette looked up from her book. "Tikki, I give up!"

Her kwami floated over, half-eaten cookie held before her. "What's wrong, Marinette?"

"I have been through everything I could find about Joan of Arc, and I know she was one of your Ladybugs, but I can't find a _thing_ about her Chat Noir!"

"Oh." Tikki drooped. "You won't, Marinette. Nobody remembers him. Even the Kwamis have forgotten him, mostly."

"What?! How can you forget a Miraculous Wielder?"

Tikki sighed. Nobody had asked her this question in over 500 years. Even the Guardians had lost this knowledge. "Because Plagg wants him forgotten. Forever." She dropped down on top of the book Marinette was reading. "And this book is wrong." She looked away, blinking hard.

Marinette scooped the little kwami up in her hands, "Oh, Tikki, don't cry! Why would Plagg do something like that?"

"Most of what you know about Joan of Arc is true. Her faith, her victories, her passion for life. I know: I was there with her every step of the way. But the stories of how she came to be captured...that's just your historians filling in around a gap they can't even see. Marinette... _he betrayed her!"_ And then Tikki finally broke down in tears.

A while (and several cookies) later, Tikki was finally ready to explain. Marinette's face was a study in concern for her little friend, but she just sprawled out on her bed and listened to Tikki, sitting on the pillow.

"There was a Black Cat, and he and Joan fought alongside one another. They were a good match, and as our wielders generally do, they loved one another...but her love for him was not a romantic thing. It was a pure love, and she thought of him as her dearest brother. No no no! Don't look like that! He was nothing like your Chat Noir. It was a violent time, and he used the powers of the ring to prevail in battle--and that meant killing. Joan and her Black Cat were soldiers in a war, and...they were like you in some ways, and yet in other ways you and Chat are very different people. And that's not a bad thing. Don't worry about Chat doing this, please."

"OK, Tikki, I won't worry. But he betrayed her?"

"I can only guess what was in his heart, and because of Plagg, my memories of him are...hazy. I could undo it, but Plagg is still grieving. I think his love for her turned to obsession, and when he realized she could not love him in that way, it became hatred. It was by his hand that she was captured. He took her earrings--oh, Marinette, I could have saved her! But he took her earrings, and handed her over to her enemies! Even without my help, they had trouble keeping her prisoner. She even jumped from a seventy-foot tower without me to aid her! But she couldn't escape. Other wielders--the Bee and the Fox were active then--led efforts to free her, but the Black Cat kept them at bay. Plagg screamed and raged at his holder every night until finally he was forced to be silent." Tikki took a deep breath.

"And then they tried her, and killed her. That much is true. But seeing it broke her traitorous partner, and the holders of the Bee and the Fox were able to defeat him and take the ring and the earrings. And then Plagg did something he has never done before or since."

"What's that, Tikki?"

"You have seen Plagg when he is free to act outside the ring. You know how destructive he can be." Marinette nodded mutely: she liked Plagg, but his power was a bit scary. "He can do more than crumble things to dust and short out electrical systems. He can destroy *anything* except me. So he used his power to destroy a very idea. He...he took away his former Chosen's _name_ , and all memory of him. Even the Kwami are not totally immune to that. He was so angry and ashamed at what had been done that he wanted no one to ever even speak that name again. I am the only one other than Plagg who remembers it, and I will not speak it."

Marinette wiped away tears. "Poor Plagg! I hope he never has to do anything like that again! My Chat Noir may be just a _bit_ obsessive about me, but he would never do anything like that! And I can't think of anyone else who deserves that either!"

"Yes, poor Plagg. He seems to really like your Chat, and...well, he doesn't trust easily, now."

Not so very far away...

Adrien had been joking, Plagg knew that, but it had been funny to see his holder's face as he phased through the floor. "Where's the Cheese, Adrien? Oh, Plagg, don't you know, my Dad has a giant Cheese Cellar, why don't you go find it? So I ran off and...now this," Plagg snarked to himself as he flew around the cellar.

Definitely not a Cheese Cellar. 

"That's Adrien's Mom. I recognize her from his screen. Is she dead? No...I smell _magic._ "

Plagg flew over and looked at the bushes.

"Those are butterflies. White butterflies."

Plagg considered this for a bit. 

Plagg thought about a son who just wished he could spend more time with his Dad.

And his Dad was....

_HISSSS!_

"You bastard! If I'm right...I said I would never do it again, _but I may make an exception!_ "

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my head for a couple *years*, in various forms. Finally wrote it.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Destroyed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25364611) by [Galen_Wordwyrm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galen_Wordwyrm/pseuds/Galen_Wordwyrm)




End file.
